The European Regulation on Invasive Alien Species requires the Member States to implement effective management measures to prevent widely spread alien species. Each Member State decides on such measures independently. Member States must prioritise the measures according to the size of the risk caused by the species to be prevented and the cost-efficiency of the measures. These measures must not unreasonably burden or have adverse effects on the environment or human health and their benefits must outweigh their costs. Eradication and control methods must be implemented in a manner that will save the animals from any avoidable pain, distress or suffering.
While not directly required in the Invasive Alien Species Act, it has also become necessary to also draw up a plan on management measures and an analysis concerning the pathways of unintentional spread to prevent invasive alien species of national concern in Finland.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has published proposals and management plans based on investigations of how widely the invasive alien species of Union and national concern are found in Finland and what is the most cost-effective way to prevent them. These project reports provide additional and background information for the measures included in each management plan.
The primary management measures should be based on the risk arising from alien species and the costs and benefits of the prevention measures. The risk assessment is based on the characteristics, harmful effects, current distribution and current stage of spread of the species, their opportunities to spread and thrive in our climate, and the prevention measures available. Invasive alien species at different stages of spread require different prevention measures.
The most effective option is to completely prevent a species from being brought into or spreading in a new area, if possible. If a species is widely spread and its prevention or eradication is not technically possible or financially sensible, minimising the harmful effects by limiting the population or preventing the species from spreading into new areas can be set as the goal.
The management plans and proposals were prepared by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke).
Consolidation of the management plans I-IV to prevent invasive alien species approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, separate publication on 23 August 2021.